Kurt Ernst, Contributor
Articles
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Sometimes, the best information on pending model launches comes from the United States government and not from auto manufacturers. That seems to be the case with the next two Porsche 911 models to be... -
Fiat 500 Coupe Zagato Coming In 2013: ReportThere are few certainties in life, aside from death, taxes and the number one rule of automakers worldwide: future products are not to be commented on, ever. There’s logic behind such a sentiment, as building excitement for products that don’t exist tends to negatively impact sales of...
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Audi's Former U.S. Boss Heads To InfinitiJohan de Nysschen, who last Friday announced his resignation as head of Audi of America, will be headed to rival luxury automaker Infiniti as a senior vice president of its worldwide business. In his new role, de Nysschen will report to Nissan’s executive vice president for the Infiniti...
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2013 Audi RS5 Cabriolet (Likely) Headed To The U.S.Paperwork filed with the California Air Resources Board shows that the 2013 Audi RS5 will (very) likely be sold in the United States.
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Ferrari To Build Engines For Other Fiat Companies: ReportIf rumors out of Italy are correct, Ferrari will invest some 50 million euros ($62.2 million) on a new assembly line to produce forced-induction V-6 and normally aspirated V-8 engines. Those powerplants won’t be destined for vehicles with a prancing horse emblem on the grille, but instead...
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Volvo Contemplates A New Luxury Coupe: ReportVolvo’s aging C70 power-retractable hardtop coupe will soldier on through the 2013 model year, but there’s no way of knowing if the model has life beyond that. It’s clear that Volvo will shutter the plant that builds the C70, and it’s equally clear that Volvo isn’t...
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A German court has ruled that the 1937 Mercedes-Benz 500K Special Roadster purchased by Dutch collector Frans van Haren in 2011 was illegally liberated from Germany as a “spoil of war,”... -
MINI Shows You The Fastest Way To Parallel Park: VideoParallel parking is one of the driving skills needed to obtain a driver’s license in most states. Student drivers often spend weeks knocking over cones and garbage cans before perfecting the combination of vehicle positioning and steering angle necessary to produce the desired results. If...
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Puritalia 427, influenced by the Shelby Cobra, teased for July revealSome recipes are so good that they cross cultural boundaries. Pillows of meat, encased in dough are called wontons in China, Maultasche in Germany (Schwabia, anyway) and ravioli in Italy. While the sauces or broths used to cook them in may vary, the basic recipe is disturbingly similar. Such is the...
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Aston Martin Announces Inaugural Racing Festival Of Le MansProving that there’s no such thing as too much racing, Aston Martin has announced the entry list for the inaugural Aston Martin Racing Festival of Le Mans, scheduled to tale place at the Circuit de la Sarthe, France, in conjunction with this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. Meant to be a...
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Chrysler Barn Find Fuels The 'Restore Or Preserve' DebateLast year, Howard Kroplick, a vintage car collector from Long Island, New York, acquired a significant piece of Chrysler history. Purchased from the Vanderbilt Museum, the 1937 Chrysler Imperial Town Car was originally ordered (to custom specifications) by none other than Walter P. Chrysler. As...
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Olympic Record Holder Usain Bolt Pitches The Nissan GT-RUsain Bolt, the fastest man in the world, can run 100 meters in 9.58 seconds and 200 meters in 19.19 seconds, both world records. He has a thing for fast cars, too as evidenced by his joy over lapping in the Ferrari 458 Italia and 599 GTB at Italy's Fiorano circuit. It should come as no surprise...
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Over the years, the saying of “win on Sunday and sell on Monday” seems to have devolved into “spend a lot of money to race on Sunday, to have the potential of a few more sales on...
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Does This Video Show The Refreshed Chevy Cruze Sedan?This much is clear: the above Chevrolet Korea video shows a slightly restyled Chevrolet Cruze sedan, which seems to carry over the same front-end look debuted by the Cruze Wagon at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. As World Car Fans (via Auto Forum) points out, the existing car’s mesh...
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Volkswagen Showing New Scirocco GTS In LeipzigWhen it comes to the world’s great auto shows, Leipzig is rarely mentioned in the same breath as Paris, Frankfurt, Detroit and Tokyo. Nonetheless, it’s a significant show for German automakers, especially since both Porsche and BMW have manufacturing plants in the former East German...
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Next BMW M6 To Offer Manual Gearbox OptionWhen the BMW M6 Convertible and Coupe hit these shores this summer, both will come to market with a 560-horsepower, 4.4-liter V-8 engine shifted through a seven-speed M-DCT gearbox. While the M-DCT will undoubtedly execute smooth and swift gear changes and produce the lowest possible lap times (not...
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Ferrari Hosting Online Auction To Benefit Italian Earthquake VictimsIn an effort to raise funds for those affected by recent earthquakes in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, Ferrari will kick off an international, on-line auction beginning the week of June 4. Up for grabs are a wide variety of items, across many different price points. At the top end of the...
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2013 Maserati Kubang To Get Sound-Enhanced DieselWhen the exported-from-Detroit 2013 Maserati Kubang goes on sale, it will become the very first Maserati model to carry a diesel engine. At least one V-8 gasoline engine will be offered as well, as that’s what most buyers will expect to see (and hear) beneath the hood. As Maserati’s...
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While the Camaro ZL1 you can buy at your local Chevy dealer today is meant to be a Jack-of-all-trades muscle car, the original Camaro ZL1 was built with a singular purpose in mind: to get through the... -
Hill Climb Driver Demonstrates His Veyron Drifting Skills: VideoSporting events like hill climbs are usually the domain of vintage race cars, whose owners drive them according to their value. It may not be an uncommon sight to see a driver in an E30 BMW demonstrating opposite lock, but you won’t see that too often in an obscenely valuable Porsche 917/10...
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Sauber Shows You An F1 Car From The Inside Out: VideoIt’s no secret that modern Formula One cars are among the most complex purpose-built race cars on the planet, so few outside the F1 inner circle of mechanics and engineers ever get to see one at the component level. The Sauber F1 Team wants to show fans what the inside of an F1 car looks...
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Retrobuilt Introduces 1969 Shelby GT500CS CloneIf you have a lust for a classic Shelby Mustang convertible, but lack the large bank account generally necessary to purchase one, conversion specialist Retrobuilt may have the ideal solution for you. Give them your 2005 and later Mustang convertible, hand them a check for the amount of work you...
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Schumacher And Rosberg Shake Down The Mercedes A Class, Play Soccer: VideoBeing a Formula One driver means having every moment of every day during racing season spelled out for you. In addition to constant physical training, there’s testing in simulators (and occasionally on track, FAI rules permitting), debriefings, and the ever-present sponsor appearances. For...
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Lotus Originals Bets On MonacoIf there’s an automaker with a more diverse business portfolio than Lotus, we’d be hard pressed to name it. Not only does Lotus build cars, but the firm also consults on engineering projects, fronts a Formula One team, builds (sadly non-competitive) engines for the IndyCar series and...
Kurt Ernst